Former Red Wings defenseman Brad Stuart couldn't be happier to be back in San Jose with family

“My kids have gotten used to having me around, which they weren’t at one point, which is kind of sad.'' -- Brad Stuart

Former Red Wings defenseman Brad Stuart has many reasons to smile in San Jose.Ansar Khan/MLive

SAN JOSE, Calif. – Detroit Red Wings coach Mike Babcock ran into Brad Stuart at the HP Pavilion Thursday morning, and didn't need to ask his former defenseman how much he is enjoying life in San Jose.

“He's all smiles and loving it,'' Babcock said.

The Red Wings sure could use this rugged top-four defenseman who played so well for them the past four-plus seasons. But, they are happy that he is happy as a Shark.

Stuart's decision to sign a three-year, $10.8 million free-agent contract last summer with San Jose, where he began his career, was strictly for family reasons. Stuart's wife was not able to relocate to Detroit due to a custody issue with her teenage daughter from a previous marriage. So Stuart was forced to live in Michigan by himself the past four years, commuting back-and-forth to San Jose for brief visits with his family, including two young sons, during breaks in the schedule.

“My kids have gotten used to having me around, which they weren’t at one point, which is kind of sad, because I’d come in and they’d expect that you were going to leave,'' Stuart said. “Now they expect me to be home all of the time, which is great. They are at an age where they probably don’t even remember a lot of those times, which is good. Now it’s the way it should be.

“Being home as much as possible and not having to jump through hoops to see my family has been awesome.''

When Babcock saw Stuart's boys running around the dressing room in Phoenix last season, and then watched as they joined their dad on the ice after a practice in San Jose, he realized this move not only was inevitable but necessary.

“I think when they were (real) little, it was one thing, but when they became (a little older) you want to be around them,'' Babcock said. “San Jose got a good coup out of the deal and ended up with a real good player.

“You're always going to miss the player, but you miss him as a man more and he's a great person. We appreciate what he did for us. It was a great trade we made with (Los Angeles, in 2008) so we could win the Stanley Cup, and he was a huge part of that.''

Sharks coach Todd McLellan said Stuart's move from Detroit to San Jose is a reflection of the human part of the game.

“It's hard to live away from two little ones, a teenage girl and your wife,'' McLellan said. “For him to come home to them, not necessarily to us, was real important to a family man. And him having started his career in San Jose and hopefully able to finish it here is a real good thing for him and us.''

Stuart said playing against his former teammates Thursday would be “weird,'' but added that it probably will be tougher when he returns to Detroit on April 11. He still keeps in touch with the likes of Niklas Kronwall, his former defense partner, as well as Henrik Zetterberg and Jonathan Ericsson, among others.

Stuart, 33, had no goals, three assists and a team-best plus-7 rating before Thursday's game. He started the season paired with Marc-Eduoard Vlasic but has played with various partners due to injuries.

“He's made us a more competitive back end,'' McLellan said. “Our penalty kill has improved immensely, and he's played a huge role in that. He's a very physical player. Just the overall intensity of our blue line has gone up, in large part to his competitiveness.''

Stuart has a chance to play for a good team, in familiar surroundings, with his family nearby. What more could he ask for?

“The lockout sucked, but from a family perspective it was what I needed, given what I had gone through over the last 3-4 years,'' Stuart said. “Being able to be a dad, to take my kids to hockey and soccer, to be there every single time has been awesome.

“I probably couldn't have drew it up any better. I'm happy, my family's happy, and that's the most important thing to me.''